snowangel

I think there are only a couple of things I'm brand loyal to. Paper napkins. You get what you pay for. Keeping Heidi neat and tidy during a meal can use 4-5 bargain napkins. One Vanity Fair napkin. During the winter, when the tomatoes are crap, Salsa Lisa. No other brand comes close, and it's a local company. Interesting at my Asian market -- it doesn't seem to matter what brand you buy, the prices are the same.

Chris, I've been thinking about this since you first posted, and I'm probably pretty darned close to your percentages. I'm probably quite a bit higher on the local in terms of meat since I'm gifted with two deer per year (fingers crossed for this year) that come from within 250 miles from my house. I know that breaks the 100-mile rule (or whatever), but I consider it local and organic and sustainable. If we ate out much, who knows how much lower the percentages would be?

Two more for the list: Anchovies. Even folks that swear they don't like them rave about dishes where the humble anchovie is an ingredient. Sumac.

No photos, but tonight, I was a copycat, and did the Farmhouse Pork with Peppers. My pepper mix was poblanos and green peppers (well, they were free from my favorite vendor, and although we loved the pork, we wanted more spice, so I quickly sliced up some birds. I'm not quite sure what Italian frying peppers are, but what I used didn't have enough spice for us. For the pork, I only had one kind on hand -- very fatty country-style ribs, and the pork was, well, delish. It just needed more heat to fill our needs and the birds (which I did fry and slightly char, filled the bill. Big bonus: realizing that all of my kids have their spice legs!

So, how do you attack or digest a new cookbook? I know for me, I'm likely to take it to bed or a lawn chair and read it like a novel. As I do so, I look for hallmarks and all sorts of details which can make or break a cookbook. So, when you crack open the box and see the new book, or get home with the new book, or bring a new tome from the library, just what do you first do?

For the less adventurous, you can't go wrong with the egg rolls (fried type), noodle soups or grilled meats. If you are adventurous, I really do recommend the som tam (green papaya salad). Go back to my first post for the location. They will pound it for you, and it is wonderful. As I've said before, this is an experience, and a good one! Please report back if you do go as to what you ate and how it was.

Elie, when you made the Daube, did you remove the meat from the liquid and store them separately? I recall that being in the instructions for the Oxtail Daube in Paula's SW France cookbook.

Thanks for the tip, Chris. I often buy larger packages of thighs than I need for a particular project. This would make larb a much more instant meal!

Does this count as a pantry meal?

I've wondered the same thing. There are many gas stations here (Super America) that have Subways inside them. I avoid these stations like the plague. On the odd occasion that we've had to stop at Subway (they are everywhere, even in very small towns that have no other food outlets than slim jim's at the gas station, I send someone in for me, and opt for the chix breast with a ton of jalapeno's. The sodium content of most of their meat is gasp choke -- buy me a gallon of water, please.

Now you're talking!

I'd have been happy with smoked meat, but that's just me. I'd be thinking fingery food. Makes the ladies feel all fancy and stuff. I'd also think that if the mom to be is in the third trimester, a glass of bubbly or a beer is just fine. Ask Gma-to-be just what her daughter likes.

Mike, are you thinking meal-like, or appetizery?

Don't forget your local Asian market. I know that at mine, dried black beans are 1/2 the price of on-sale at the supermarket, and they'll often just give me bony parts of meat because they break down entire animals.

One thing that is really helpful for chicken or turkey to to either remove the knob at the bottom of the leg, or cut through the skin, meat and tendons just above the knob. Makes the leg look sort of like a lollipop when cooked, and I know that when I get chickens that have had some exercise, makes the leg just like the thigh -- nice and plump!

What time of day?

Time for an update, and what a school and age can do. She can't punch the numbers into the nuker, but she can hit the "start" button. Heidi's now in 10th grade (and still tiny!), and is only in school 2.5 days/week. 1/2 day per week, she's out and about in the community. It might be shreding paper at the VFW. It might be a trip to the local grocery to get supplies for the classroom. 1 day/week, she is at an apartment. They are learing to cook, clean, make beds, etc. 1 day/week they are at a vocational center. She is learning to tear movie tickets and give customers receipts. But, because of the day at the apartment, and learning to cook, she knows how to turn on a Magic Bullet. We've learned, thanks to the school folks, that if we want her to be involved in meal prep, measure everything out in custard cups, and hand over hand, she can add them, and stir, with assistance. She's even helping to make her lunches every day. I wedge the apples, but with assistance, she can get them into the container (BTW, 7-UP or Sprite work just fine to keep the apples from browning). She reminds me every day that there is a reason for pre-cut broccoli or ready-to-go wedged apples.

Once again, we have daylight saving's time. It is light earlier (easier to shag one's sorry ass out of bed), but it is dark earlier, and once again, we are having dinner earlier. Oh, for those lazy, crazy days of summer when we grilled and ate off the grill at some hour at which most kids should be in bed, but weren't.

Cubano with my own home-smoked pork.

If he can't get it open, make a tiny snip in the top of the bag -- just partway through the sealed edge. Further uptopic, you mentioned that there hasn't been much growth in your bento making. As a mom who has been making lunches for school kids for some 14 years, I have noted that my kids like familiar. Sort of like how they enjoy watching the same movie over and over again. Peter wants a sandwich -- either ham/cheddar or turkey/pepper jack, fruit and a cookie. He gets milk at school, and lunch for the middle schoolers is only 20 minutes long, so if I pack a bigger lunch, he brings some home. I'm lucky with Heidi. She's in a special ed room with a fridge, stove and microwave, so you can guess where leftover pasta dishes and casseroles go!

Here in MN, Heath is much more widely available than Skor.

Diana's Halloween package: A scarf I tie-died (gauzy, and keeping the ends, which are now fringe was a bitch). A few handfuls of candy (of the chocolate/caramet variety). A box (free) of some sort of oreo bars that come with a dip that is supposed to simulate the filling (like I said, it was free with a coupon), some of Maida Heatter's Pecan Passion Bars, a can of Progresso Clam Chowder (call it home shoppng and the right size to fill the box), a box of Triscuits (plain thin crisps) a hunk of Manchego and a hunk of brie. She's gone veggie on us (but will eat fish and egg stuff). Oh, I also stuck in a few Tootsie Pops. I filled out the box, to keep things nice and tight, with a ziplock of biscotie (the lenox ones from Baking From My Home to Your's, but not almond, instead lemon and dried blueberries). The other college kids I know and love got candy, Pecan Passion Bars, and biscotti. Oh, and they all got $5.00 I Tunes Cards (on sale at Costco).

I refuse to store leftovers in yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese containers (because you can't see what's in the container and then you think you really do have sour cream, yogurt or cottage cheese. The containers go the garage or sewing space for storage of "inventory" (think odd bits of this and that), but the lids make very nice spoon rests.

Bruce, I say give it a go. Given the quantity, and the fact that is lightly stir-fryed, it's more of a vegetable component than the typical use of cilantro as a garnish or touch. Or, you can go my route when you serve it. "You have two choices for dinner. Take it or leave it." It works.

As parent to three (actually now two since one is at college and at the mercy of their food system), it's not easy to get up on these very dark mornings and get lunches ready for 6:50 or 7:20 am times and have them look pretty and be inventive. I have great intentions every evening, but when I try and shake my sorry ass out of bed in the dead of night (6:00 am), I opt for simple. Since almost all of it is homemade, I just figure I'm doing better than a lunchable. I know when I worked outside the house, I was really lucky. We had a fridge, a freezer, a two burner cooktop, a microwave, a toaster and a toaster oven. Sure made it a lot easier! My kids don't have Bento boxes per se, but cook lunch boxes with containers.